As details continue to emerge about the 21-year-old Highland Park, Illinois, shooter, a sort of blame game has unfolded as officials try to piece together what motivated the shooter to embark on his killing rampage.

New details have emerged regarding the shooter's access to firearms, including the one used to commit the shooting. As these details emerge, questions about whether or not the shooter's father bears any responsibility have been raised as he helped his son obtain an application that allowed him to legally purchase weapons.

Robert “Bobby” Crimo III is facing seven charges of first-degree murder after taking the lives of seven parade-goers on July 4th. Crimo took aim from the roof of a nearby building as he shot dozens of rounds on parade-goers below. Along with killing seven, he injured dozens more, including an eight-year-old who was left paralyzed from the waist down after a bullet severed his spinal cord.

Officials detail that more charges including federal ones will be filed against the shooter in the days to come.

Although a motive has not been established, officials share that they’ve ruled out any religious or racial motivations for the attack.

Parental Involvement over Shooter’s Action’s Questioned

In the wake of mass shootings, especially those involving younger perpetrators, the parents of the shooters have become the subject of scrutiny as well. During the 2021 mass shooting of a Michigan high school, shooter Ethan Crumbly was a minor when he conducted an attack on his classmates. In a first-of-its-kind move, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald brought forward charges against the parents of the shooter. Crumbly’s mother and stepfather, Jennifer and James Crumbley, both face charges of involuntary manslaughter because of their son's actions.

While the case against the Crumbly parents continues to unfold, the prosecutor's decision to go after the parents has set an unspoken precedent across the nation. Now it is one that is being observed in the case of the Highland Park Shooter.

Crimo’s father has been under increased scrutiny for helping his son obtain the firearms used in the mass shooting. This assistance has conjured up questions of whether or not Crimo’s father bears any responsibility for his son’s actions.

Reports have unveiled that the family was at least somewhat aware of Bobby Crimo’s violent behavior. In April 2019, law enforcement was called to the Crimo house after the younger Crimo threatened to kill himself using a machete.

Officials were called to the home again in September 2019 after another family member reported that Bobby Crimo had threatened to kill his entire family. During that call, officials confiscated 18 knives including a dagger, but the weapons were later returned to the family after Crimo’s father came to the police station to pick them up.

Officials also revealed that in December 2019, Crimo had applied for a Firearm Owner's Identification Card or FOID card. Because Crimo was 19 at the time and not 21 as required, his application was sponsored by his father. Despite the police visits to the family home, Crimo's FOID card was approved and the teen went on to buy several firearms including five guns and two rifles, one of which was used in the attack.

Concerns have been raised regarding whether or not Crimo's father should be held liable for the shooting because he helped his son obtain the firearms used in the devastating attack. Despite these calls for action against Crimo’s father, the family maintains that they did not have any insight that the younger Crimo was capable of pulling off such a horrific attack. Crimo's parents have not spoken publicly, but the shooter's uncle, Paul Crimo, has shared that the family is in disbelief over the carnage their loved one left behind.

Crimo’s uncle shared with reporters at the Chicago Sun-Times that his nephew was a very quiet guy. “He lived in the back apartment and I lived in the front house. We really didn’t see each other,” Paul Crimo detailed.